Twenty years ago this month, Sofia Coppola released her third feature film as a director. Known for melancholic portrayals of young women, Coppola took on her most misunderstood subject yet: Marie Antoinette.
At its 2006 Cannes Film Festival premiere, Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” received a mix of applause and boos from the audience. The film’s dreamy, over-the-top aesthetic and modern takes drew criticism for its departure from historical accuracy. Yet the same costuming that faced backlash won best costume design at the Academy Awards in 2007, cementing the film as the gold standard for historical fashion in film.
Coppola and costume designer Milena Canonero made intentionally anachronistic choices to tell the story of a young woman rather than making a strictly period-accurate piece.
In a scene soundtracked with the almost satirical sound of “I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow, Antoinette “oohs” and “ahhs” as she shops for new gowns, slippers and elaborate wigs. Among the new fashions is a pair of baby-blue Converse high-tops.
Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI when she was just 14 and became queen consort of France at 18. The placement of these baby-blue Converse was no accident; they were to help portray that Antoinette was just a young girl playing queen.
Instead of creating costumes with the classic beige and bronze color palette often associated with period pieces, Canonero turned to hot pinks, baby blues and bright peaches, paired with endless ribbons, lace, ruffles and a million and one feathers.
The extravagant costuming not only reflected Antoinette’s youth but established a distinct aesthetic. The costume design and craftsmanship are what earned the film the Academy Award for best costume design, with star Kirsten Dunst wearing more than 60 costumes throughout the film.
But it wasn’t just the costuming that solidified the film as a cult classic. In one of its most iconic scenes, Dunst relaxes on a chaise lounge in an excessively ruffled gown with pink tulle beneath its hem that matches her pink ruffled slippers and the seemingly endless pink cakes surrounding her.
Filmed at the Palace of Versailles, the movie spared little when it came to its visual extravagance. Yet the opulent halls and elaborate designs contrast with a soundtrack featuring The Strokes, Aphex Twin and The Cure.
The modern soundtrack, candy-colored costumes and historical inaccuracies were all deliberate style choices meant to portray that Marie Antoinette was a young woman given a life of extraordinary privilege before she could understand its consequences.
Through bright pink wigs and even a reference to Antoinette’s rumored quote “Let them eat cake,” Coppola created a film that used historical inaccuracy as a storytelling tool. In the film, Dunst dismisses the phrase, uttering the line, “That’s such nonsense, I would never say that.”
While the film was initially met with harsh criticism, Coppola’s approach has since become its own genre within period pieces. Historical dramas such as “The Great,” “My Lady Jane” and “Reign” take similar creative liberties in costuming and historical accuracy.
Twenty years later, “Marie Antoinette” remains a testament to how costuming can tell a story. Canonero’s expertly crafted bubble-gum colored gowns and towering wigs, paired with Coppola’s distinct vision, transformed historical fashion and gave the film its cult classic status.
Marie Antoinette is a misunderstood historical figure, but Coppola portrayed a different side of her story through baby-blue Converse and The Strokes. More than a period piece, “Marie Antoinette” pushed boundaries and proved that storytelling through style, aesthetic and soundtrack is more important than historical accuracy.
